Suction cleaner



Oct. 21,1941. Q. BERG SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Quentin l Berg BY I I ATTO R NEY Oct. 21, 1941 BERG 2,260,207

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Que/z [in fiery ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 21, 1941 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER Quentin Berg, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 18, 1939, Serial No. 305,047

8 Claims.

I which the nozzle adjusting mechanism responds a to the resistance oflered thereby;

height adjusting mechanism as it appears with' ment to be manipulated by the operator at his judgment of the varying carpet conditions may dictate, but without any guide for insuring the correctness of adjustment being made.

The object of the present invention is to substitute for the more'common manual adjustment, a so-called automatic adjustment wherein the height of the nozzle is governed by the pressure exerted through the handle in the act of maneuvering the cleaner over the carpet being cleaned. Such a relationship between the immediate nozzle adjusting element, in this case a pair of front wheels joumalled on crank. arms,

suggests some operative connection between the handle mounting and the adjustable front wheels so that the relative movement of the latter to the cleaner body responds to the force exerted through the handle and which manifestly, varies in direct proportion to the resistance oflered by the particular carpet being cleaned to the movement of the cleaner.

Therefore, a further object of the invention is to provide a novel mechanism for transmitting the pressure exerted through the handle to the adjustable front wheel mounting whereby an approximately constant relationship between nozzle height and handle pressure may be maintained throughout the range of ordinary clean- 8 operations.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure 1 is a general view in side elevation of a standard type of handle-maneuvered cleaner equipped with handle-pressure actuated nozzle adjusting means;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the cleaner body. showing the nozzle adjusting mechanism asit would function with the cleaner operating upon a bare floor or hard surface covering;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the cleaner being-operated upon a carpet having a relatively thick pile and the manner in Figure 4 is a perspective view of the nozzle the body of the cleaner removed; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the handle position control sector as it appears when removed from the cleaner.

Although the nozzle height adjusting device disclosed herein is applicable to any standard cleaner of the portable handle-maneuvered type, it is here embodied in a cleaner wherein the fan chamber and nozzle are included in a "single main casting I with the nozzle 2 extending transversely across the front of the main casing l and the motor 3 extending horizontally and in axial alignment with the fan chamber 4.

Forming a part of the cleaner assembly, although not having direct connection with the body, is a handle 5 having at its lower end an inverted U-shaped yoke or ball 6 straddling the motor 3 and pivotally connected at its lower extremities with the nozzle adjusting mechanism presently to be described in detail.

As is common in cleaners of the type herein disclosed, the exhaust outlet from the fan chamber 4 is at one side and opens in an upwardly direo- .tion, although not shown herein because it is located on the far side of the cleaner body. In any case, the exhaust outlet from the fan chamber opens into the lower end of a dirt bag -l which extends upwardly along the handle and is supported thereby through a short extensible connection, preferably in the'form of a light coil spring 8 having detachable connection with the upper end of the handle.

The dirt bag is of the customary shape and construction, namely, an elongated tube of a porous woven fabric or equivalent filtering material closed at' both ends but with the upper end capable of being opened for the purpose 0 emptying the bag of its contents.

However, the dirt bag 'I' difiers somewhat from the more common arrangement in that it is sup-' ported in front or on top of the handle 5 instead of being suspended below it. And again, the

lower end of the bag has detachable connection i .and, on account of the rectly to the rear of the fan chamber I, curv- I cleaner body, there fan aseoeov end of the bag with the cleaner handle through the extensible attaching spring I. It may be added that the ring and hook connection between the-lower end of the bag'nnd the cleaner body is provided because the exhaust outlet from the fan chamber is oifse and in order to support the bag symmetric on the handle, it is preferred to provide the bag with an offset extension la having direct connection with the ex-- haust outlet. Thus it follows that as the handle swings forwardly and rearwardly, the bag will be placed under an increasing tension as the inclinationof the handle approaches its horizontal or lowered position. Ordinarily, the tensioning of the bag merely prevents the bag from sagging connecting spring 8, is not excessive, although it does exert an upward pull on the cleaner body which contributes somewhatto the maintenance of the correct nozzle height adjustment as will presently be explained. P I

As mentioned, the handle 5 is carried-by, although it does not have the pivotal connection directly with the cleaner body. In any case, the

handle pivots about a horizontal transverse axis and through an arc of about 90 degrees, the limits of which are represented by the vertical or storage position of the handle and a horizontal or lowered position. To control in some degree the swinging movement inf the handle, there is preferably mounted on one side of the cleaner body and immediately adjacent the inner. face of one of the arms of the handle ball 6, a position control sector Ill consisting primarily of a plate describing an arc of substantially 90 de-v grees and having an attaching portion lllasuit- I ably fashioned for attachment to the cleaner body. Thus, as clearly shown in Figures 2'and 4, the handle control sector ill ismounted diing rearwardly and downwardly and terminating at the level of the underside of the motor *caslng 3. As shown more clearly in Fi ure 5,

the sector is divided into three radially disposed position grooves by the 'simple process of upsetting thesectorinsuchamannerasto define .22. The outer ends of the shaft 2| are bent,

' at right angles'to form crank arms Zia, extend-' extensible nature of the chamber and ing downwardly andinclined rearwardly in a slight degree, and at the ends of these crank arms are journalledthe front supporting wheels l3, l3. Y

Now, projecting from the rear face of the fan rock shaft 2|,is a pair of. ears 2 lyin lust in-' wardly from the lower extremities of the arms 8a, 6a of the handle ball 6 (Figure 4).. Ex tendingtransversely between and through the ends of the ears 24, 24 is a'transverse shaft 2|, the ends of said shaft projecting laterally a short distance beyond the ears 24 and carrying a pair of triangular shaped plates 26, 26 which are actually bell crank levers with lever arms disposed at right angles,

The longer and horizontal rearwardly extending' lever arms of the bell crank levers support the handle through pivotalconnections with the lower extremities of. the handle bail 6. And pivotally connected-with the shorter and downwardly extending arms of the bell crank" elevated areas between the grooves or radial depressions. Thus, there is provided a narrow up: right groove A defining the vertical or storage position'of the handle, a'considerably wider'and angularly extended groove B defining the working range of the handle and finally, a lower hori- 'zontal groove C defining the lowered position of the handle.

Mountedon the .innergface of thearm is of the handle baill adjacent the sector I0, is a roller. ll journalled in a suitable bracket V I2 with its axis extending parallel with the bail arm on which it-is mounted, so that the roller extends radially with respect to the handle control sector it. The roller ilebears against the outer face of thesector and, being yielda'bly mounted, exerts sumcient pressure through the roller to hold the handle in the position towhich it is swung by the operator. i Referring now to the supporting wheels for the pair of front wheels ll,

-ment causing I and the nozzle to be raised in .a corresponding levers is a pair of links 21, 21 bent in s-ibnev to permit them to diverge or spread outwardly to straddiethe fan chamber and to have pig-1 otal bearing on the end portions of the arms Ila, lie just inside ofthe adjustable front wheels ",13. And finally. attached to: one side.

of the fan chamber and immediately above fof'the crank arms Zlois a'stop'member 2! ving angularly disposed edges'formingabut-f. ments to limit the swinging movement of rock shaft 2| through an arc of approximately 15 degrees in either, direction from its normal positibn of about degrees to the vertical. Now, with arrangement, it is bvious in maneuvering the cleaner forwardly over acarpet s'urface'a part of the force exerted downwardly through the handle will be transmitted directly to the cleaner body and a part through p the bell crank levers 20,52 and links 21, 21

and thence to the'crank arm's 21a, Zia to rock the shaft It in a clockwise direction, this move;

' the ,frontwheels to be depresseddegree. L ,7 Thus, in'Flgure 2'the cleaner is shown ing',upon a plane surface such as a bare or, a relatively thin carpet and showin the, nozzle spaced at short distance from the supporting sur- 7 face, the distance being assumed to be proper for cleaning such a,s urface. Underthese d5 ditions', the force exerted throughthe handle will It located immediately to the rear ofthe nestle 5 z and a pair of rean wheels l4. is preferably arranged in the form of a two-wheeled caster journalled at the outer end of a bracket I5 sew cured to the underside of the motor casing 3 and proiecting a short distance beyond its rear end. The rear wheels l4, l4 rotate upon a fixed axle.-

be lar ely applied directly tothe cleaner body in propelling it over the surface andhence enough will to the shaft M10 swing th'e;crank arms and depress 'the front;

carried by the bracket 15 hence, their post-.- 15.

wheels against the weight carried thereby.- However, should the cleaner be onto a comparatively thick carpet, asillustrated in Figure an follows that the greater eifort required to push the cleaner .over the carpet s'ur-.

face due to the increased rcsmceoflered by substantially atthe level of the l because of the pull on the handle.

adjusting movement by counterbalancing a part of the weight of the cleaner which normally opposes any lifting of the nozzle. Thus, it will be apparent that with the lower end of the cleaner bag connected at 9 with the cleaner body at a point forwardly and above the pivotal connection of the handle with the body, and the handle moved to its inclined or working position, that the tension exerted by the bag and only partially relieved by the spring connector 8, is exerted in a direction to lift ortilt the body upwardly with the rear wheels as a fulcrum. This lifting force therefore, counterbalances a part of the weight carried upon the front wheels and is especially helpful during the rearward stroke of the cleaner when there would be no adjustment of the nozzle But with the handle lowered to an angle somewhat greater than 45 degrees to the vertical during the rearward or return stroke, the tension exerted through the bag tends to-maintain the nozzle at the same height during both strokes. case, the tension exerted through the bag is advantageous in that it renders the cleaner body more responsive to the force exerted through the In any handle and the adjustingmechanism more sensitive to varying carpet conditions.

Thus, regardless of the particular grade or texture of the floor covering to be cleaned, a constant relationship is maintained between the force required to propel the cleaner over the carpet surface, the resistance offered by thatsurface to the bodily movement of the cleaner, and the nozzle height best suited for effective cleaning, since for all practical intents and purposes the resistance is equal to the propelling force. Hence, it follows that the nozzle will be maintained at a height which varies directly as the pressure exerted through the handle, and at a height substantially correct for the particular carpet being cleaned.

Having set forth the invention in one of its more practical embodiments, but without limiting it thereto, 1 claim:

1. A suction'cleaner comprising a body having a nozzle at its forward end, supporting wheels mounted adjacent opposite ends of said body with the foremost wheels offset from said nozzle-and journalled upon crank arms for limited rocking movementrelative to said body, a lever on said ing crank arms carrying the wheels adjacent one end of said body, levers mounted on said body to pivot about a common axis parallel with said shaft, a handle having a bail connected at its lower ends with one arm of each of said levers, and links connecting the other arm of each lever with said crank arms, whereby the force exerted through said handle in maneuvering the cleaner over the carpet rocks said shaft to raise or lower the wheels carried thereby to, adjust the height of the nozzle to the-character of the particular surfacebeing cleaned.

3. A suction cleaner comprising a body supported upon wheels and having a nozzle at its forward end, the wheels adjacent the nozzle being journalled on. crank arms pivotally mounted on said body for limited swinging movement relative thereto, a handle, a lever of the bell crank type pivotally mounted on said body and having one arm connected with the lower end of said handle, and a link connecting the other arm of said lever with said, crank arms whereby the force exerted through said handle in maneuvering the cleaner is transmitted to said crank arms to swing the same in a direction to raise or lower said last mentioned wheels and to adjust the nozzle to the particular carpet being cleaned.

4. A suction cleaner comprising a body supported upon wheels mounted adjacent its opposite ends and having a nozzle at its forward end, a transverse rock shaft mounted on said body adjacent said nozzle and having crank arms on which the front supporting wheels are journalled, a handle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said body and having pivotal connection with the lower end of said handle, a link connecting said lever with said rock shaft whereby the pressure exerted through said handle in maneuvering the cleaner is transmitted to said rock shaft to displace said wheels bodily in a direction to adjust the height of the nozzle to the surface characteristics of the particular carpet 7 being cleaned.

body rotative about an axis parallel with the axis of said crank arms, a handle having pivotal'connection at its lower end with one arm of said lever, and a link connecting the other arm of said -1ever with said crank arms whereby the force -a nozzle at'its forward end, supporting wheels mounted adjacent the opposite ends of said body with the front wheels offset from said nozzle, a transverse shaft mounted on said body and hav- 5. A suction cleaner comprising a body supported uponwheels and having a nozzle at its forward end, a transverse rock shaft mounted on said body rearwardly of said nozzle and having crank arms on which the front supporting wheels are journalled, a handle having a U-shaped bail, I

levers mounted upon said body to pivot about a common axis parallel with the axis of said rock shaft and having pivotal connection with .the lower ends of said handle bail, and links connecting said levers with said crank arms whereby .the pressure applied to said handle in maneuvering the cleaner in a forward direction acts to adjust said wheels bodily to raise or lower the nozzle to the correct operating height regardless of the surface-characteristics of the particular carpet being cleaned.

6. A suction cleaner comprising a body supported upon wheels having a nozzle at'its forward end, a transverse rock shaft mounted adjacent said nozzle and having crank arms at its ends on which the wheels adjacent said nozzle are journalled, a handle having an inverted U-shaped ball at its lower end adapted to straddle said body, bell crank levers pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said body and to which the ends of said bail are pivotally connected, and links connecting ,.,said levers with said crank arms whereby the pressure exerted through said handle in maneuvering the cleaner over thezsurface being cleaned is transmitted to said crank arms to rock said shaft in adirection to depress said adjustable wheels and thereby raise the nozzle automatically to a height suitable for the particular character of the surface being cleaned.

7. A suction cleaner comprising a body having a nozzle at its forward end and front and rear 5 supporting wheels, crank arms on which said front wheels'are' iournalled, a lever mounted on said body, a handle connected with one arm of said lever, links connecting the other arm of said lever with said crank arms whereby. the force ap- -l0 lied to said handle in maneuvering the cleaner is tranmitted to said shaft to rock the same in a direction to raise or lower the wheels and to adjust automatically the height of thenozzle to I the particular carpet being cleaned, a fllter bag 15 connected at one end of said body forwardly of I s'aidhandle, and an extensible member connect-- a nozzle at its forward end and front and rear 20 ing the upper end of the bag with'the handle.

8. A suction cleaner comprising a body having supporting wheels. a shaft'extending transversely aaeopoz a said body mam, saidindnlc-and hayins crank arms on which said front-wheels are;

journalled. levers mounted on said body and ro- 4 tative about a common-axis with said shaft, a handle having a bail-at its lower end connected with one arm of eachof said levers, 1 links connecting theother'arm said leverswith said crank arms whereby th force through said handle in maneuvering th'ecleaner 1 is transmitted to said shaft to rock the same-f1 in a direction to raise or lower-the'wheels and tcadjust automatically the height of the nozzle to the particular carpet being cleaned, and a filter bag'ektensibly connected at one end to said body at. a point substantially above said front wheels and at its other end to the handle, said bag thus acting as a tension member to lift the forward end of said cleaner in the downward 

